Wire grinding machine



Aug. 28, 1945. c. A. CARLSON 2,383,927

WIREGRIND'ING MACHINE Filed July 15, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet l l' 31 won'to-v CARL A. CARLsoN Mum 1945' c. A. CARLSON I WIRE GRINDING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 15, 1944 CARL A. CARLsoN c. A. CARLSQN WIRE GRINDING MACHINE Filed July 15', 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 CARL A. CARLsoN Mum as wire and the like.

Patented Aug. 28, 1945 wmr: GRINDING t 11 Claims. This invention relates to grinding machines,

and more particularly to a machine for grinding wire or other similar work pieces.

One object of the invention is to provide a simple and thoroughly practical grinding machine for grinding continuous work pieces such A further object of the invention is to provide a wire grinding machine having opposed rotatable grinding wheels which are revolved while the work piece to be ground is fed therebetween.

A further object of the invention is to provide a wire grinding machine having a rotatable frame which supports a pair of opposed grinding wheels, in which the rotatable support and the grinding wheels are independently driven. A further object of the invention is to provide a wire grinding machine having a pair of opposed revolvable grinding wheels which are adjustably supported and provided with feeding mechanisms whereby the grinding wheels may be fed toward and from the axis of revolution during a grinding operation. Other objects will be in part obvious or in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements or parts, as will be exemplified in the structure to be hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which is illustrated one of many possible embodiments of the mechanical features of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a cross sectional view, taken approximately on the line l-i of Fig. 4, showing the arrangement of the grinding wheels and the rotatable support therefor;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevation, on an enlarged scale, of one of the-grinding wheel units;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the feeding mechanism for the grinding wheel unit shown in Fig. 2; 1

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken approximately on the line fl-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken approximately on the line 55 of Fig. '7, showing the plunger mechanism for actuating the wheel feed;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic plan view of the machine, showing the wire reeling and supporting an enlarged scale, showing the relationship of the grinding wheels and the work steadying guide; and

,Fig. 91s a fragmentary detail view, showing the support for the work steadying guide.

A wire grinding machine has been shown in the drawings having a base Ill which supports a pair of upwardly extending brackets H and it which serve as rotatable support for a pair of spaced rotatable trunnions i8 and It. The trunnions l3 and it are formed integral with a revolvable wheel supporting drum 95 which is preferably formed by providing spaced plates i6, H and it which are interconnected by longitudinally extending members I9, 20, 2!, 22, 2t and 2d. The end plates I8 and 68 are either formed integral with or fixedly mounted relative to the trunnions l3 and It, respectively.

A wire supporting reel is rotatably supported-- may be manually controlled so as to vary the rate of feed of the wire 26 through the machine.

A driving mechanism is provided for rotating the wheel supporting drum l5 comprising a variable speed electric motor-3t] which is provided with a. multi-v-groove pulley 8|, The pulley 3i is connected by multiple V-belts 32 with a large diameter multi-V-groove pulley 33 which is mounted on the left hand end of the trunnion l3. By varying the speed or the motor 30, the rotatable wheel supporting drum may be rotated at the desired speed for the grinding operation.

The rotatable drum l5 serves as a support-for a pair of opposed grinding wheels 35 and 36 which are arranged to engage thewire 26 to be ground on diametrically opposite sides. Each of the grinding wheels 35 and 36 is preferably independently rotated by independent variable speed motors so that the speed ofrotation of the wheels may be adjusted to produce .thedesired grinding action. Each of the grinding wheels is preferably supported on a. movable member so that the wheel may be adjusted toward "and from the wire to be ground so as to compensate for wheel wear and also't'o produce the desired feeding action. In the preferred construction, the grinding wheel 36 is supported on a pivotally mounted frame in v vided with a '55 is pivotally connected by a stud 56 -is fixedly supported which is supported by a pair of spaced opposed driving belts 4|. i similar wheel support 45 is provided for the rinding wheel givotally supported by a pair Of spaced 0139:8861: pivot screws 45 and 41. An electric motorrt adjustably mounted on the wheel suppo I a and is connected by a multiple V-belt 49 W1 d pulley 50 which is supported on the leflt-han end of a wheel spindle 5| which rotatab y susports the grinding wheel 35. A manually ahjustable screw 52v is provided for adiustingt te motor 38 relative to the support 45 to facili a e tensioning the driving belts 49 as desired.

Each of the wheel supports 31 and 45 is profeeding mechanism whereby the 3! and 35 respectively may be toward and from the axis of drum i5.

identical, consequently only grinding wheels rotation of the are substantially d m data one will be describe to a Snde heel lock 51 which is slidably supported on the w support 3'1. The feed screw 55 meshes with or engages a nut 58 which is rotatably supported in.

h or fixedly a portion 55 formed integral wit mounted relative to the drum IS. The nut 58 is provided with an outwardly'extending integral" flange 80 which has a gear Bl formed on its pg; ri h meshing with a gear 62. The gear p m on a rotatable stud 6'3. The

stud 63 also supports a gear 64 which is keyed thereto. The gear 64 35. The wheel support 45. is

A feed screw meshes with a gear 65' er 15 will impart a partialrotation to the star wheel II and thus transmit a feeding movement through the mechanism above described so as I revolving star wheel ll engaging the plunger l6 These mechanisms Y which is formed integral with a rotatable sleeve B havin a central clearance aperture 61 withi n which the feed screw 55 may telescope. A gear 68 is mounted at the lower end of the sleeve 66 and meshes with a gear 99 which is sup-1 ported on a rotatable shaft 10. A star whee H is fixedly mounted on the outer end of the shaft I0. It will be readily apparent that rotary motion of the star wheel 1i W111 be transmitted through the gear 69, the gear 68, the sleeve, the gear 65, the gear 64, the gear 62. and'the gear 6!, to rotate the nut 58 relative to the non-rotatable screw 55 so as tocause the screw 55 to move in an axial direction so as to feed the grinding wheel 36 either toward or from the axis of the rotatable support It.

Only one pairof opposed grinding wheels has v ll he been illustrated .in the drawings but it wi readily apparent that, if desired, a plurality i31f pairs of opposed grinding wheels may be read y provided bylengthening the machine so as to provide sufficient supportfor the same on the rotatable drum l5.

In order to provide a controlled feeding move- 36, the plunger Iiwill impart a rotary motion to the star wheel H in the opposite direction which will transmit a feeding movement to the grinding wheel 30, also in the opposite direction. A pair of actuating knobs l1 and 18 are provided for actuating the plungers l5 and 16, respectively.

It is desirable that only one of the plungers be moved into an operating position while the other plunger is maintained in an inoperative position. This is preferably accomplished by providing an inter-connection between the two plungers. A bracket 19 is fixedly mounted on a casing which surrounds the machine. A rock arm BI is pivotally supported by a stud 82 on the bracket I8. The rock arm 8i is connected by studs 83 and 84' with the plungers l5 and 16, respectively. It will be readily apparent from the foregoing disclosure that whenthe plunger or stud I5 is moved into an operative position by manual actuation of the knob 11, the'plunger .16 will be moved in the opposite direction and maintained in an inoperative position. Similarly, when the plunger 16 is moved into an operative position, the plunger 15 will be maintained in an inoperative position.

Balanced compression springs are associated with each of the plungers l5 and I6 normally to maintain them in an inoperative position.

A pair of similar plungers 85 and 86 are provided on the opposite side of the casing 80 which are arranged to be moved into the path of opposite sides of the star wheel 13 as it revolves with the drum IS. The plungers 85 and. are interconnected by means of a rock arm 81 so that only one of the plungers 85 or B6 may be moved into an operative position while the other plunger is maintained inoperative. Actuating knobs 88 and 89 are provided for actuating the plungers 85 and 86, respectively. It will be readily apparent from the foregoing disclosure that by actuating the plungers 15b! 16 on one side of the frame 80, the grinding wheel 36 may be fed either toward or from the wire to be ground and similarly by actuation of the plungers 85 and 86 on the opposite side of the casing, the grinding wheel 35 may be adjusted either toward or from the axis of the wire to be ground during rotation of the drum 1!.

The wire 26, after it leaves the reel 25, passes through a pair of opposed guiding surfaces 80 and 91 which are preferably adiustable.rela- ,tively toward and from each other so that the wire passing through the 'drum I5 may be maintained under proper tension. As the wire 28 passes from the other end of the machine, it passesunder a dial indicator 92 which visibly indicates the size of the finish ground wire. By observing the dial indicator, the operator may readily observe whether or not the wire-is bein ground to size and make suitable feeding adjustments of the wheels to compensate for any deviations in wire size.

In order to drive the grinding wheels 85 and 38 independently, a plurality of slip rings 84 are provided adjacent to the right-hand end of the trunnion H. A main starter switch 85 is provided for opening and closing ,the circuit to supply power through independent switches 96 and 91 which are connected through slip rings 94 to control the electric current passing to the motors 40 and 48, respectively.

It is desirable to steady the wire being ground between the grinding wheels 35 and 36 by means of a work steadying guide bar I which is fixediy supported on a bar I I. The bar I0! is keyed to the plates I6 and I7, as indicated in Fig. 9. The grinding wheels 35 and 35 are preferably rotated in opposite directions, that is, so that at the point of grinding contact with the wire being ground, the thrust of the grinding wheels will be in a direction so as to hold the wire against the work supporting guide I00 so that the wire will be rigidly supported as it is ground away.

The operation of the improved wire grinding machine will be readily apparent from the foregoing disclosure. A reel of-wire 26 to be ground is supported on the rotatable reel 25. The wire 2b is passed through the tension guides 90 and 9| and is threaded through the central apertures .in the trunnions I3 and M, respectively, through a guiding surface 93 which is located below the dial gauge 92, and onto the motor driven wind-up reel 28. The motor 30 may then be started to rotate the drum l5, and the motors M) and d8 started to rotate the grinding wheels 36 and 35, respectively. The wheels 85 and 35 may then be fed toward the periphery of the wire to be ground to the desired extent, after which the motor driven reel 29 may be started to draw the wire 26 through the machine while the grinding wheels 36 and 35 rotate and revolve about its peripheral surface to grind the same to the desired and predetermined extent. As above described, either of the wheels 36 or 35 may be adjusted by manipulation of the independent feeding mechanisms. The speed of revolution of the drum i5, the speed of rotation of the grinding wheels 35 and 35, and the speed of rotation of the wind-up reel 29 may be independently adjusted as desired so as to produce the desired and predetermined grinding action upon the surface of the wire 2b to be ground.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by this invention apparatus in which the a rotatable frame, a trunnion at each end of said' frame, a pair of spaced journal bearings on said base rotatably to support said trunnions and frame, a central aperture through said trunnions and frame for guiding wire to be ground therethrough, means to rotate said frame, a pair of opposed rotatable grinding wheels within said frame, an adjustable support on said frame for each of said wheels. an independent electric motor on each of said supports for rotating each of said grinding wheels, and independent means for independently adjusting each of said supports relative to said frame to feed the grinding wheels either toward or from the wire to be ground.

2. In a wire grinding machine having a base, a rotatable frame, a trunnion at each end of said frame, a pair of spaced journal hearings on said base rotatably to support said trunnions and frame, a central aperture through said trunnions and frame for guiding wire to be ground therethrough, means to rotate said frame, a rotatable grinding wheel on said frame, an adjustable support on said frame for said wheel, an electric motor on said support for rotating said grinding wheel, a work steadying guide on said frame, a nut and screw mechanism for adjusting said support relative to said frame to feed the grinding wheel either toward or from the wire to be ground, and means including a star wheel mechanism to facilitate automatically adjusting the position of said grinding wheel while said frame is rotating.

3. In a wire grinding machine having a base, a rotatable frame, a trunnion at each end of said frame, a pair of spaced journal hearings on said base rotatably to support said trunnion and frame, a central aperture through said-trunnions and frame for guiding wire to be ground therethrough, means to rotate said frame, a pair of opposed rotatable grinding wheels supported within said frame, an adjustable. support on said frame for each of said wheels, an independent driving motor on each of said supports for independently rotating each of said wheels in opwsite directions, a work steadying guide between said wheels to steady the wire during grinding,

- and an independent nut and screw mechanism for adjusting each of said suppbrts relative to said frame to feed said wheels either toward or from the wire to be ground.

4. In a wire grinding machine having a base, a rotatable frame, a trunnion at each end of said frame, a pair of spaced journal bearings on said base rotatably to support said trunnions and frame, a central aperture through said trunnions and frame for guiding wire to be ground therethrough, means to rotate said frame, a pair of opposed rotatable grinding wheels supported within said frame, a pivotally mounted support on said frame for each of said grinding wheels, an independent driving motor on each of said supports for independently rotating each of said wheels in opposite directions, a work steadying guide on said frame which projects between said' wheels to steady the wire being ground, and an independent nut and screw mechanism for independently swinging said supports relative to said frame to feed said grinding wheels either toward or from the wire to be ground.

5. In a wire grinding machine having a base,

. a rotatable frame, a trunnion at each end of said frame, a pair of spaced journal bearings on said base rotatably to support said trunnions and frame, a central aperture through said. trun nions and frame for guiding wire to be ground therethrough, means to rotate said frame, a pair of opposed rotatable grinding wheels supported. within said frame, a pivotally mounted support on said frame for each of said grinding wheels, an independent driving motor on each of said supports for independently rotating each of said wheels, an independent nut and screw mechanism for independently swinging saidsupports relative to said frame to feed said grinding wheels either toward or from the wire to be ground, and means including a star wheel mechanism automatically to adjust said screws during rotation of said frame.

6. In a wire grinding machine having a base,

I a rotatable frame, a trunnion at each end of said and frame for guiding wire to be ground therethrough, means to rotate said frame, a pair of opposed rotatable grinding wheels supported within said frame, a pivotally mounted support on said frame for each of said grinding wheels, said pivot for the supports being adjacent to the periphery of said'frame, an independent driving motor on each of said supports for independently rotating each of said wheels, and means including a nut and screw mechanism for swinging each of said supports about its pivot to feed said grinding wheels either toward or from the wire to be ground.

7. In a wire grinding machine having a. base, a rotatable frame, a pair of trunnions at each end of said frame, a, pair of spaced journal bearings on said base rotatably to support said trunnions and frame, a central aperture through said trunnions and frame for guiding wire to be ground therethrough, means to rotate said frame, a' pair of opposed rotatable grinding wheels supported on said frame, an independent pivotally mounted support on said frame for each of said wheels, said pivotal supports being arranged so that the grinding wheel axes swing along a path substantially diametrically of said frame, an independent motor-on each of said supports for independently rotating said wheels, an independent nut and screw mechanism for adjusting each of said supports relative to said frame to feed said grinding wheels either toward or from the wire to be ground, a star wheel operatively connected to rotate each of said feed screws, and a normally inoperative plunger'which is arranged to be manually moved into operative position in the path of said star wheel as it revolves to facilitate adjustment of the position of the grinding wheels.

8. In a, wire grinding machine having a base, a rotatable frame, a pair of trunnions at each end of said frame, a pair of spaced journal bearings on said base rotatably to support said trun nions and frame, a central aperture through said trunnions and frame for guiding wire to be ground therethrough, means to rotate said frame, a pair of opposed rotatable grinding wheels supported on said frame, an independent pivotally mounted support on said frame for each of said wheels, said pivotal supports being arranged so that the grinding wheel axes swingalong a path substantially diametrically of said frame, an independent motor on each of said supports for independently rotating said wheels, an independent nut and screw mechanism for adjusting each ofrsaid supports relative to. said frame to feed said grinding wheels either toward or from the frame, a central aperture through said trunnions mounted support on said frame for each of said wheels, said pivotal supportsbeing arranged so that the grinding wheel axes swing along a path substantially diametrically of said frame, an independent motor on each of said supports for independently rotating said wheels, an independent nut and screw mechanism for adjusting each wire to be ground, a star wheel operatively connected to rotate each of said feed screws, and a pair of normally inoperative spaced plunger's which are arranged to be moved into the path enjsaid star wheel at diametrically. opposite positions to facilitate adjustment of said grinding wheel eithertoward or from the wire to be round. r

- 9. In a wire grinding machine having a base,

a rotatable frame, a pair of trunnions at each of said, supports relative to said frame to feed said grinding wheels either toward or from the wire to be ground, a star wheel operatively connected to rotate each of said feed screws, a pair of normally inoperative plungers which are arranged to be moved into the path of said star wheels at diametrically opposite positions to facilitate adjustment of said grinding wheel either toward or from the work axis, and interconnections between said plunger whereby only one of said plungers may be rendered operative while the other is maintained in an inoperative posi-- tion.

" 10. In a wire grinding machine having a'base,

a rotatable frame, a pair of trunnions at each end of said frame, a pair of spaced journal bear-- ings on said base rotatably to support said trunnions and frame, a central aperture through said trunnions and frame for guiding wire to be ground therethrough, means to rotate said frame, a. pair of opposed rotatable grinding wheels supported on said frame, an independentpivotally mounted support on said frame for each of said wheels, said pivotal supports being arranged so that the grinding wheel axes swing along a path substantially diametrically of said frame, an independent motor on each of said supports for independently rotating said wheels, an independent nut and screw mechanism for adjusting each of said supports relative to said frame to feed said grinding wheels either toward or from the wire to be ground, a star wheel operatively connected to rotate each of said feed screws, and a normally inoperative plunger associated with each of said feed screws which is arranged to be moved into the path of said star wheels as they revolve independently to adjust the position of each of said grinding wheels.

11. In a wire grinding machine having a base. a rotatable frame, a pair of trunnions at each -end of said frame, a pair of spaced journal bear ings on said base rotatably to support said trunnions and frame, a central aperture through said trunnions and frame for guiding wire to be ground therethrough, means to rotate said frame,-

- nected to rotate each of said feed screws, and a pair of normally inoperative spaced plungers which are arranged to be moved into the path of movement of each of said star wheels at diametrically opposite positions to facilitate independent adjustment of each of said grinding wheels either toward orfrom the work axis.

' CARL A. CARL-SON. 

